Arnoldas Kulboka

Arnoldas Kulboka
Kulboka with Bilbao Basket in 2020
No. 98 – Wolves Twinsbet
PositionPower forward / Small forward
LeagueLithuanian Basketball League
EuroCup
Personal information
Born (1998-01-04) 4 January 1998 (age 26)
Marijampolė, Lithuania
Listed height206 cm (6 ft 9 in)
Listed weight104 kg (229 lb)
Career information
NBA draft2018: 2nd round, 55th overall pick
Selected by the Charlotte Hornets
Playing career2014–present
Career history
2014–2015Žalgiris-2
2015–2019Brose Bamberg
2015–2017→ Baunach Young Pikes
2017–2018→ Orlandina
2019–2021Bilbao
2021–2022Charlotte Hornets
2021–2022→ Greensboro Swarm
2022–2023Promitheas Patras
2023–2024Prometey
2024–presentWolves Twinsbet
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  Lithuania
FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship
Silver medal – second place 2016 Turkey U18 National Team
Bronze medal – third place 2015 Greece U18 National Team

Arnoldas Kulboka (born 5 January 1998) is a Lithuanian professional basketball player for Wolves Twinsbet of the Lithuanian Basketball League and the EuroCup. He was selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the 55th overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft. At 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in), he can play at both forward positions.

Professional career

Žalgiris-2 (2014–2015)

Kulboka played in the youth ranks of Žalgiris Kaunas with the club's reserve team, Žalgiris-2 Kaunas.

Brose Bamberg (2015–2017)

Kulboka signed a five-year deal with German powerhouse Brose Bamberg in August 2015.[1] In his first year, he exclusively saw action on their affiliated teams in the German under-19 youth Bundesliga NBBL (TSV Breitengüßbach), and in the second German division 2. Bundesliga ProA (Baunach Young Pikes). He helped Breitengüßbach capture the 2016 NBBL title,[2] while averaging 6.4 points, as well as 1.5 rebounds a contest for Baunach in ProA play.[3] In 2016, he attended the Basketball Without Borders Global Camp in Toronto, Canada,[4] as well as the Adidas Eurocamp in Treviso.[5]

In the 2016–17 season, he improved his stats to 14.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2 assists per game for Baunach in ProA action. On 1 May 2017, Kulboka made his debut for Brose Bamberg in Germany's top-tier level Basketball Bundesliga, in a 61–74 win over Science City Jena, in which he recorded 13 points and 5 rebounds.[6]

In June 2017, Kulboka participated in adidas Eurocamp. He was named best sniper of the camp, by scoring 10 three-pointers in a row.[7] Furthermore, he was also named to the First Team All-Eurocamp 2017.[8][9] During the same year, he declared for the 2017 NBA draft, but withdrew on 12 June.[10][11]

Orlandina (2017–2018)

On 14 July 2017, Kubolka joined Orlandina Basket of the Italian top-tier level Serie A, on a loan.[12] After averaging 10.3 points, 5 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game during the 2017–18 Basketball Champions League season, he was named the league's Best Young Player of the season.[13][14]

Return to Bamberg (2018–2019)

On 23 July 2018, Brose Bamberg announced that Kulboka would return to the team.[15]

Bilbao (2019–2021)

On 6 August 2019, Kulboka signed with Spanish club RETAbet Bilbao Basket.[16] He averaged 8.5 points and 3.6 rebounds per game in his first season with the team. On June 12, 2020, Kulboka extended his contract for two seasons.[17] In the summer of 2021, he left Bilbao after receiving an offer from the Charlotte Hornets.[18]

Charlotte Hornets (2021–2022)

Near the end of the 2017–18 season, Kulboka would enter his name in the 2018 NBA draft, being one of only 11 international players to declare for the draft early that year.[19] On 21 June 2018, he was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets, in the second round (55th overall).[20][21] He represented Hornets during the 2018 NBA Summer League.[22][23] During his debut game he scored 12 points per 13 minutes and helped his team to achieve an 88–87 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.[24] Kulboka represented Hornets during the 2019 NBA Summer League once again.[25] He played his best game versus the China men's national basketball team, scoring 18 points and grabbing 4 rebounds.[26]

On 3 August 2021, the Charlotte Hornets signed Kulboka to a two-way contract for the 2021–22 season. Under the terms of the deal, he will split time between the Hornets and their NBA G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm.[27]

On 11 December 2021, Kulboka debuted as a Charlotte Hornets member during an NBA game and played 3 minutes.[28]He checked in one more time on 10 April 2024 for 3 minutes.[29]

Promitheas Patras (2022–2023)

On 5 July 2022, Kulboka signed a one-year contract with Greek club Promitheas Patras.[30] On 25 January 2023, Kulboka recorded a career-high 30 points (10/13 FG), four rebounds, three assists and a 36-point PIR in a 81–72 home win over Budućnost VOLI.

In 27 domestic league matches, Kulboka averaged 12.1 points (shooting with 44% from the 3-point line) and 5.3 rebounds, playing around 28 minutes per contest. Additionally, in 20 EuroCup games, he averaged 14.7 points and 5.9 rebounds, playing around 31 minutes per contest.

Prometey (2023–2024)

On 21 July 2023, Kulboka signed with Prometey of the Latvian–Estonian Basketball League.[31]

Wolves Twinsbet (2024–present)

On 8 August 2024, Kulboka signed with Wolves Twinsbet of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL) and the EuroCup.[32]

National team career

At the junior youth levels, Kulboka has represented Lithuania on the international stage on several occasions, including at the 2014 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship[33] and the 2015 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship.[34] He scored a team-high 15.7 points a game in the 2016 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship, en route to a silver medal.[35] He also competed for Lithuania in the 2017 FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup, averaging a team-high 13.7 points per contest.[36] On 26 February 2018, Kulboka debuted as a member of the senior Lithuanian national team, by scoring nine points, grabbing five rebounds and dishing out two assists, and helped to crush Kosovo's national team, by a score of 106–50, during the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualification.[37]

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

NBA

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2021–22 Charlotte 2 0 2.5 .000 .000 — .0 .0 .0 .0 .0
Career 2 0 2.5 .000 .000 — .0 .0 .0 .0 .0

EuroCup

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG PIR
2022–23 Promitheas Patras 20 19 30.3 .455 .430 .818 5.9 1.0 .6 .2 14.7 16.8
Career 20 19 30.3 .455 .430 .818 5.9 1.0 .6 .2 14.7 16.8

References

  1. ^ "#11 Arnoldas Kulboka - Brose Bamberg". brosebamberg.de. Archived from the original on 14 November 2016. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  2. ^ Ahlf, Lina-Theresa. "TSV Breitengüßbach e.V. - NBBL IST DEUTSCHER MEISTER 2016". tsvbrgb.de. Archived from the original on 5 July 2022. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  3. ^ "2. Basketball-Bundesliga | Spieler". zweite-basketball-bundesliga.de. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  4. ^ "DraftExpress NBA Draft Prospect Profile: Arnoldas Kulboka, Stats, Comparisons, and Outlook". draftexpress.com. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  5. ^ "EUROCAMP 2016 Roster | adidas Eurocamp". adidaseurocamp.com. Archived from the original on 18 November 2016. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  6. ^ 74:61-Erfolg in Jena: Bamberg geht mit sechs Siegen in Serie in die Playoffs
  7. ^ "10 tritaškių iš eilės pataikęs Kulboka – geriausias "Eurocamp" snaiperis". BasketNews.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  8. ^ "2017 Awards". adidas Eurocamp. Archived from the original on 2 December 2021. Retrieved 23 June 2017.
  9. ^ "Arnoldas Kulboka – simboliniame prestižinės stovyklos penketuke". BasketNews.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 11 June 2017.
  10. ^ "Masiulis ir Kulboka pateikė paraiškas dalyvauti NBA naujokų biržoje". BasketNews.lt (in Lithuanian).
  11. ^ Sarapas, Jaunius. "Atsitraukė ir A. Kulboka, ir L. Birutis – NBA naujokų biržoje nebus nė vieno lietuvio". DELFI (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  12. ^ "A New Kid In Town: Arnoldas Kulboka a Capo d'Orlando!". Orlandina Basket (in Italian). 14 July 2017. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  13. ^ "Arnoldas KULBOKA". championsleague.basketball. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  14. ^ "Star Lineup revealed, Kulboka Best Young Player". championsleague.basketball. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  15. ^ "Arnoldas Kulboka kommt nach Bamberg zurück". brosebamberg.de (in German). 23 July 2018. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
  16. ^ "Arnoldas Kulboka joins Bilbao". Sportando. 6 August 2019. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  17. ^ Carchia, Emiliano (12 June 2020). "Arnoldas Kulboka extends with Bilbao". Sportando. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  18. ^ "Arnoldas Kulboka heading out of Bilbao, two-way contract with Hornets among options". Eurohoops.net. 25 June 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  19. ^ "Forty-three international early entry candidates withdraw from NBA Draft 2018". NBA.com. 12 June 2018. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  20. ^ Fowler, Chapel (23 June 2018). "Hornets to use 'draft and stash' strategy with 55th overall pick Arnoldas Kulboka". The Herald. p. 2B. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  21. ^ Levitt, Daniel (22 June 2018). "NBA draft 2018: Phoenix Suns select Deandre Ayton with No 1 pick – live!". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  22. ^ "Arnoldas Kulboka Vasaros lygoje debiutuos "Hornets" gretose". BasketNews.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  23. ^ "Hornets Announce Roster for MGM Resorts NBA Summer League 2018". NBA.com. 5 July 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
  24. ^ "Tritaškį su pražanga pelnęs A.Kulboka galingai debiutavo NBA vasaros lygoje". 24sek.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  25. ^ "Arnoldas Kulboka dalyvaus NBA Vasaros lygoje – atstovaus "Hornets"". 15min.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 30 June 2019.
  26. ^ "Kulboka NBA Vasaros lygoje surengė savo geriausią pasirodymą". DELFI (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  27. ^ Wash, Quinton (3 August 2021). "Charlotte Hornets Sign Arnoldas Kulboka and Scottie Lewis To Two-Way Contracts". NBA.com. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  28. ^ "Lauktas debiutas: NBA rungtynėse pasirodė 15-asis lietuvis lygos istorijoje". 15min.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  29. ^ "Arnoldas Kulboka 2021-22 Stats per Game - NBA". ESPN. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  30. ^ Barbaroussis, Stavros (5 July 2022). "Arnoldas Kulboka pens one-year deal with Promitheas". eurohoops.net. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  31. ^ "Arnoldas Kulboka became a player of BC "Prometey"". PrometeyBC.com. 21 July 2023. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  32. ^ "Wolves Twinsbet adds A. Kulboka to team line-up". BC Wolves. 8 August 2024. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
  33. ^ "Arnoldas Kulboka - U16 European Championship Men (2014)". fibaeurope.com. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  34. ^ "Arnoldas Kulboka - U18 Europe Championship Men - Division A". u18men.fibaeurope.com. Archived from the original on 23 March 2016. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  35. ^ "Lithuania at the FIBA U18 European Championship Division A 2016 - FIBA.com". FIBA.com. Archived from the original on 26 August 2017. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  36. ^ "Lithuanie at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2017 - FIBA.basketball". FIBA.basketball (in French). Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  37. ^ "Jauna Lietuvos rinktinė su kaupu išnaudojo savo šansą: antrąkart sutriuškintas Kosovas". DELFI.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 26 February 2018.